A 13-year-old boy from Haifa has made an extraordinary discovery during a family hike on Mount Carmel, unearthing an 1,800-year-old ring featuring an engraving of the Roman goddess of war, Minerva (known also as Athena in Greek mythology), the Israel Antiquities Authority revealed Wednesday.
Yair Whiteson, an avid collector of fossils and rocks, spotted the small green object while hiking with his father near the ancient quarry site below Khirbet Shalala on Mount Carmel. Initially mistaking it for a rusty bolt, Whiteson quickly realized he had found something far more valuable. The IAA has confirmed the authenticity and historical significance of the find.
"While hiking, I noticed a small green item and picked it up," Whiteson said. "It was corroded, and at first, I thought it was just a rusty bolt. I thought about heating it, but then, fortunately, I understood it was a ring. At home, I saw an image on it. At first glance, I thought it was a warrior."
The family contacted Nir Distelfeld, an inspector at the IAA's Theft Prevention Unit, who transferred the ring to the National Treasures Department for examination. Experts, including Professor Shua Amorai-Stark from Kaye Academic College, analyzed the artifact.
According to Distelfeld and Dr. Eitan Klein from the IAA, the ring features a helmeted naked figure holding a shield and a spear. "Yair's identification of the figure as a warrior is very close to reality," they explained. "The figure is apparently the goddess Minerva from Roman mythology, known also as Athena in Greek mythology."
Researchers believe the small bronze ring likely belonged to a woman or girl during the Late Roman Period (2-3 century CE). The discovery site, near Khirbet Shalala, contains remains of a Roman-era farmstead and an ancient rock quarry with two burial caves nearby.
"The ring may have belonged to a woman who lived on this farm. Or, it might have fallen from a quarry worker, or it may have been a burial offering from these nearby graves. There are many possibilities," the researchers said.
Khirbet Shalala, the archaeological site near where the ring was found, has been previously documented by various expeditions, including the 19th century Palestine Exploration Fund surveyors and Israeli archaeologists Professors Ruth Amiran and Shimon Dar.
In recognition of his discovery, Whiteson and his family were invited for a tour of the new Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel and received a commendation for good citizenship.
The IAA emphasized that this find contributes to the existing archaeological knowledge of the area. "The ring now connects to data gathered here in earlier excavations and surveys and sheds additional light onto this site," Distelfeld and Klein concluded.
